Finding a One-Stop Shop for Human and Pet Medications
pet medications
One of the best things about the internet is that it can save us time. If we're being resourceful and intentional, we can find everything (or almost everything) we need in one place.
That's one of the things we've strived for at NorthWestPharmacy.com — to create a place where people can find their own prescriptions, as well as their pet medicine so they don't have to waste time "shopping around" or making unnecessary trips to stores or veterinary offices. It's not just about the significant cost savings we offer or the convenience (although that's certainly helpful); it's also about taking a bit of the mental load off of our customers.
Not only do we carry the most popular medications you need at much more affordable prices than you'll find in the United States, but we can extend the same offer to common pet prescriptions. It may not be the primary reason people visit our website, but it's certainly a convenient thing they're grateful for when they get here.
Of course, you want to make sure the online Canadian pharmacy or international drugstore you're choosing for yourself will take just as much care in filling your pet's prescriptions. What use are cheap pet meds if they aren't authentic and dispensed safely?
Here's how you know if you're finding the best online Canadian pharmacy for yourself, but also the best pet pharmacy for your furry friends.
Common Medications Purchased Online
The vast majority of medications purchased through international or Canadian online pharmacies are less expensive than their American counterparts.
Of course, the price difference is the main reason people search for international online pharmacies. The American healthcare system hasn't prioritized affordable access, which has allowed prices (for both medical attention and prescriptions) to skyrocket. Therefore, it's common for people struggling to pay for their medications to call NorthWestPharmacy.com to inquire about getting their Canadian drugs or international prescriptions through us.
While we sell a wide variety of prescription medications, some categories are more popular than others. Generally speaking, the bigger the price differential, the more popular it is on our website.
Asthma/COPD Inhalers
Asthma inhalers are notoriously expensive in the United States, and because there's a lot of overlap between asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) treatment, this issue applies to COPD patients as well.
The obscene cost of inhalers is a complex issue and cannot be attributed to just one factor. For example, there is a lot of cost associated with the development of inhalers and their delivery methods — meaning whether they're metered dose inhalers (MDIs), nebulizers, or dry powder inhalers (DPIs). And that's without considering the actual medication.
And then there's the issue of American patent law and how convoluted it can become. Making any changes to the mechanism can allow the manufacturer to file for a new patent, which extends their exclusivity period. This prevents generic drugs from entering the market, which would allow the medication to be more affordable for consumers.
Furthermore, each inhaler is essentially a throw-away canister. You cannot ship them in bulk the way you can with pills. You have one canister (or device) that lasts for a certain amount of time and then it gets thrown away.
But of course, the lack of regulation is perhaps the largest cause for the ridiculous cost of asthma and COPD treatments, much like every other medication on the American market.
Antithrombotics
Antithrombotics are a commonly prescribed class of medication for Americans. They're typically anticoagulants or antiplatelet medications, which literally prevent the blood from clotting, which is important for people prone to blood clots, or those preparing for (or recovering from) surgery — particularly those undergoing a valve or joint replacement. Essentially, they're blood thinners.
Millions of Americans are taking some sort of anticoagulant or antiplatelet medication, with Eliquis and Xarelto being two very popular (and expensive) ones. In large part, this has to do with how many conditions antithrombotics are approved to treat, such as deep vein thrombosis (DVT) atrial fibrillation (AFib, or AF), venous thromboembolism (VTE), and acute coronary syndrome (ACS).
At NorthWestPharmacy.com, we have these medications at a much lower price than most any retailer (whether online or brick and mortar) in the United States.
Blood Sugar Regulation
At this point, nearly 10% of Americans have been diagnosed with diabetes. While there are many different ways to treat diabetes (depending on which type and how severe the problem is), one of the popular treatments is medication that helps regulate blood sugar. Regardless of the treatment plan developed, most of them are expensive.
Again, some of the reason behind the high cost in this case stems from the mechanisms being developed to make injections safer and easier for patients. For example, Ozempic is administered in a prefilled injectable pen (akin to an EpiPen auto injector) that only needs to be used once per week, which is convenient for patients, but is also very expensive.
Anti-Inflammatory Medication
Another frequent seller at NorthWestPharmacy.com is a classification of anti-inflammatory medications typically used for inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including ulcerative colitis. Asacol is one of the most commonly prescribed medications we've seen cross our pharmacists' desks.
Nearly 2 million Americans have been diagnosed with IBD of some kind, with about 70,000 new cases being diagnosed each year. Being able to keep inflammation to a minimum inside your gut is critical for managing the symptoms of these chronic diseases, and can vastly improve your quality of life.
One-Stop Shop: Picking Up Your Pet Medications
One of the most common pet medications we sell at NorthWestPharmacy.com is flea and tick repellant. In part, this is because they must be administered on a monthly basis (at least — depending on the medication, sometimes it's biweekly), which means that people need them to be stocked and ready to go when the reminder goes off to give the dog his meds.
It's not that you can't go to the vet's office to pick up more, or that they can't order it for you — it's a matter of price and convenience. Having a medication delivered to your door sounds like a dream in the busy hustle and bustle of life. Making a special trip to the vet's office to pick up Fido's prescription is tedious at best and simply not going to happen at worst.
Taking that complication out of the equation will not only keep your pet safer and healthier but can save your brain power for more important things. At NorthWestPharmacy.com, we carry medications approved for use in cats, dogs, and even horses.
Environmental Factors to Pet Medication Use
While your favorite furry friend may have regular medication to take for maintenance, they're likely to need a prescription to treat an acute illness at some point. For example, dogs with floppy ears are more likely to get ear mites or fungus than animals with smaller ears or ears that point up (such as a cat).
Additionally, dogs are often outside more than cats, and are more likely to be exposed to environmental allergies. Having those (adorable) ear flaps prevents free air flow, which could help dry out the ear canal and creates the perfect environment for mites and bacteria to thrive.
Of course, there are many brands of ear drops to keep ears clean and help prevent bacteria growth, as well as medication that kills the mites and fungus. In some cases, these are medications you can keep on hand for when your dog inevitably gets an ear infection over the summer, when allergens are running high — particularly if this is a regular occurrence that your veterinarian is accustomed to seeing. They can help you recognize the signs and may be able to call in a prescription for you without a confirmation appointment (this will depend on each veterinarian).
The same goes for skin irritation and infections on paws. Again, this is a common summer and fall problem when allergen-concentration in the air is high and the environment is wet. This can cause pets to lick their paws (or wherever the fungus is growing) relentlessly, irritating the skin and even ripping the hair out. There are typically creams to help in these cases and is something you may be able to keep on hand.
With your valid prescription (or a call from a licensed veterinarian), you can order your acute or chronic pet meds through our website. We also sell a number of over the counter (OTC) pet medications that can be purchased at your convenience without a prescription. On our pet medication page, these are clearly marked.
Getting Started with a Reputable Online Pharmacy
At NorthWestPharmacy.com, our main goal is to save you money on the prescriptions you need. We are committed to doing so safely by following the guidelines set forth by the Canadian International Pharmacy Association, which verifies that we are following all necessary safety protocols for drug authenticity and accuracy. Not only do we take this certification (and responsibility) very seriously, but we only source medication from CIPA-certified suppliers as a result. Keeping our supply chain within the CIPA-certified umbrella ensures that we're doing everything we can to make sure your prescriptions are filled correctly.
We're also certified by the International Pharmacy Association of British Columbia (IPABC), which gives us an additional reputable organization's seal of approval. We feel you can never be too safe, and our reputation reflects that.
We can only fulfill our goal of saving you money if we're committed to safety and accuracy — in fact, our track record is exceptional. Medication won't do you any good if you're not getting the prescriptions you actually need, or they were in the wrong dose. We can tell you this information, but it's really best coming from the nearly 400,000 reviews of satisfied customers have left for us on various third-party review sites, like Shopper Approved and Trustpilot.
A Dependable Pet Pharmacy
We also want you to know that your pet's health is just as important to us as your health. Therefore, the procedures we follow for humans are essentially the same procedures we follow for your pets. We'll verify the medication and the dosage before we fill the prescription and have it delivered straight to your door.
If this is the first time you've ordered pet medication through an online Canadian pharmacy or international drugstore, it's certainly understandable that you might be nervous. For your convenience and education, we have plenty of information for you to read through as you feel it relevant, including step-by-step how-to-order instructions, frequently asked questions, and special feature articles that get more specific about medications and the conditions they treat, or symptoms they manage.
While pet medications aren't always as expensive as human medications in the U.S., they can still cost a hefty sum.
If this is the case for you (and you're blown away by the price tag at the pharmacy or your vet's office), give us a call before you purchase your pet's medication. We have a dedicated call center team that takes a lot of pride in being able to help our customers. Our call center is open seven days a week, and we have an email address you can use to send questions any time, day or night.
Remember that you can always go back to the pharmacy for the pet medication, but you can't return it once you've taken it home. It's best to look into all your options before making that purchase, if at all possible.
At NorthWestPharmacy.com, we're proud to offer a lowest price guarantee, which means that if you find your medication cheaper elsewhere, we'll beat the price. This is true for both human and pet medications — and you won't even have to leave the house.
Get in touch with us today if you're ready to place your order, or if you have additional questions. You can call our toll-free number (1-866-539-5330) or email us and we'll get back to you as soon as possible.
